Little Shop Of Horrors Tickets Little Shop Of Horrors Tickets Little Shop Of Horrors Tickets Little Shop of Horrors is among the longest running Off-Broadways musicals of all time. It is the creation of the award-winning team of lyricist and composer; Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. The musical premiered in 1982 and has been produced countless times since then. It tells us the tale of a simple florist who takes care of a ferocious alien plant that loves feeding on human blood and seeks global domination. In a limited three-show engagement, Little Shop will hit the stage at the New York City Center. It will feature big name stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Taran Killan and Ellen Greene. So grab Little Shop of Horrors tickets and enjoy the show. View Little Shop Of Horrors Tickets Little Shop of Horrors is one of the most renowned musicals of all time in the US. The show is inspired by the 1960 black comedy movie of the same name that was directed by Roger Corman and starred Jack Nicholson. A successful run The musical first premiered in 1982 in and later had an Off-Broadway run at the Orpheum Theatre.

Its successful run at the Orpheum lasted over half a decade. Through the decades, Little Shop has been produced on Broadway, on West End and numerous international adaptations and tours. Hit numbers, cult following & what not! Over the years, it has garnered a devout cult following among theatergoers and theatre performers. The musical is minimalistic as it requires easy orchestrations and a handful of actors. Due to this fact, it is often the choice of school, community and amateur productions. Despite its simplicity, its hit songs have won widespread critical acclaim. These include “Suddenly, Seymour,” “Somewhere That’s Green” and “Skid Row (Downtown).” All of these songs composed by Menken, and stylized in doo-wop, Motown and rock and roll music from the ‘60s. Innocent florist versus evil plant The story of the musical follows the life of the young orphan, Seymour Krelborn, who lives in a skid row. He is a florist who works with the ingénue blonde Audrey at Mr. Mushnik’s flower shop, which no longer attracts any customers. Seymour chances upon a mysterious plant that resembles a huge Venus flytrap.

He names the plant Audrey II after his love interest. The plant soon starts to die and Seymour doesn’t know how to nurse it back to health. He accidentally discovers that Audrey II requires human blood to thrive and that it can also speak. The naïve florist gives in to the plants bloodlust as it promises him riches, fame and love. What ensues is a struggle of power and domination between the florist and his plant. Creative duo behind Little Shop The Grammy Award-winning team of lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken worked on the lyrics, book and music for Little Shop of Horrors. Together, they have also received two Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards. They are responsible for the lyrics and music of Disney classics such as Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. With direction by Dick Scanlan and choreography by Patricia Wilcox, the new adapted Little Shop hit New York City Center’s main stage in summer 2015. Gyllenhaal, Killam & Greene on-stage In 2014, the Academy Award-nominated actor, Jake Gyllenhaal thrilled the audience with his performance in the movie Nightcrawler.

Making his musical debut in Little Shop, he will take up the role of the nerdy Seymour. Acting alongside Gyllenhaal is Saturday Night Live cast member Taran Killam as the abusive boyfriend. The beautiful actress and singer Ellen Greene, who played Audrey in the 1986 remake Little Shop of Horrors, will reprise her role for this limited engagement. The manipulative bloodthirsty Audrey II will be voiced by Chuck Cooper. Three shows, two nights, one venue! Summer 2015 at the New York City Center will be headlined by the Little Shop of Horrors. Theatergoers, critics, producers and musical lovers will be sure to enjoy the tongue in cheek comedy musical. The show will open for three performances held over two nights. So grab Little Shop of Horrors tickets and get this once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy this brilliantly-crafted masterpiece. Advanced Search WWE Tickets Testimonials I was really running out of options with where to take my girlfriend on our first anniversary when I found out that you guys still had tickets for the Elton John show, even when the venue showed they were sold out!

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Your representatives are extremely friendly and helpful and Hannah made the whole ticket buying process seem as easy as pie! I will definitely recommend you guys and will be coming back whenever I need tickets! Andrew Waterman Little Shop of Horrors - Free Streaming Movies - MovieZoot Little Shop of Horrors Comedy, Horror | 72 mins | Released: 1960 Director: Roger Corman Starring: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Wally Campo, Dick Miller, Myrtle Hall, Jack Nicholson Our Rating: 7 Color On Los Angeles’ skid row, penny-pinching Gravis Mushnick (Mel Welles) owns a florist shop which is staffed by him and his two employees, the sweet but simple Audrey Fulquard (Jackie Joseph) and clumsy Seymour Krelboyne (Jonathan Haze).[16] Although the rundown shop gets little business, there are some repeat customers; for instance, Mrs. Siddie Shiva (Leola Wendorff) shops almost daily for flower arrangements for her many relatives’ funerals. Another regular customer is Burson Fouch (Dick Miller), who eats the plants he buys for lunch. When Seymour fouls up the arrangement of Dr.

Farb (John Shaner), a sadistic dentist, Mushnick fires him. Hoping Mushnick will change his mind, Seymour tells him about a special plant that he crossbred from a butterwort and a Venus flytrap. Bashfully, Seymour admits that he named the plant “Audrey Jr.”, a revelation that delights the real Audrey. From the apartment he shares with his hypochondriac mother, Winifred (Myrtle Vail), Seymour fetches his odd-looking, potted plant, but Mushnick is unimpressed by its sickly, drooping look. However, when Fouch suggests that Audrey Jr.’s uniqueness might attract people from all over the world to see it, Mushnick gives Seymour one week to revive it. Seymour has already discovered that the usual kinds of plant food do not nourish his strange hybrid and that every night at sunset the plant’s leaves open up. When Seymour accidentally pricks his finger on another thorny plant, Audrey Jr. opens wider, eventually causing Seymour to discover that the plant craves blood. After that, each night Seymour nurses his creation with blood from his fingers. Although he feels increasingly listless, Audrey Jr.

begins to grow and the shop’s revenues increase due to the curious customers who are lured in to see the plant. The plant (voiced by writer Charles B. Griffith) develops the ability to speak and demands that Seymour feed him. Now anemic and not knowing what to feed the plant, Seymour takes a walk along a railroad track. When he carelessly throws a rock to vent his frustration, he inadvertently knocks out a man who falls on the track and is run over by a train. Miserably guilt-ridden but resourceful, Seymour collects the body parts and feeds them to Audrey Jr. Meanwhile at a restaurant, Mushnick discovers he has no money with him, and when he returns to the shop to get some cash, he secretly observes Seymour feeding the plant. Although Mushnick intends to tell the police, he procrastinates by the next day when he sees the line of people waiting to spend money at his shop. When Seymour later arrives that morning suffering a toothache, Mushnick sends Seymour to Dr. Farb, who tries to remove several of his teeth without anesthetic to get even with Seymour for ruining Farb’s flowers. Grabbing a sharp tool, Seymour fights back and accidentally stabs and kills Farb.

Seymour is horrified that he has now murdered twice and after posing as a dentist to avoid the suspicion of Farb’s masochistic patient Wilbur Force (Jack Nicholson), Seymour feeds Farb’s body to Audrey Jr. The unexplained disappearance of the two men attract the attention of the police and Mushnick finds himself questioned by Det. Joe Fink (Wally Campo) and his assistant Sgt. Frank Stoolie (Jack Warford) (take-offs of Dragnet characters Joe Friday and Frank Smith,). Although Mushnick acts suspiciously nervous, Fink and Stoolie conclude that he knows nothing. Audrey Jr., which has grown several feet tall, is beginning to bud, as is the relationship between Seymour and Audrey (whom Seymour invites on a date). When a representative of the Society of Silent Flower Observers of Southern California comes to the shop to check out the plant, she announces that Seymour will soon receive a trophy from them and that she will return when the plant’s buds open. While Seymour is on a date with Audrey, Mushnick stays at the shop to see that Audrey Jr. eats no one else.

After trading barbs with the plant when Audrey awakens and requests to be fed, Mushnick find himself at the mercy of a robber (Charles B. Griffith) who believes that the huge crowd he had observed attending the shop indicated the presence of a large amount of money. To save his own life, Mushnick tricks the robber into thinking that the money is at the bottom of the plant who then eats him. Not only does the monstrous plant’s growth increase with this latest meal, but its intelligence and abilities do as well. It intimidates Mr. Mushnick, who is now more terrified than ever, but not so much that he will pass up on the money the plant is bringing in as an attraction. After he is forced to damage his relationship with Audrey to keep her from discovering the plant’s nature, an angry Seymour confronts the plant asserting he will no longer do its bidding just because it orders him. The plant then employs hypnosis on the feckless lad and commands him to bring it more food. He wanders the night streets aimlessly until pursued by a rather aggressively persistent high-end call girl, Leonora Clyde (Meri Welles), intent on making a score.

Believing him harmless, she flirts with him to no avail until he inadvertently knocks her out with a rock and carries her back to feed Audrey Jr. Still lacking clues about the mysterious disappearances of the two men, Fink and Stoolie attend a special sunset celebration at the shop during which Seymour is to be presented with the trophy and Audrey Jr.’s buds are expected to open. As the attendees look on, four buds open and inside each flower is the face of one of the plant’s victims. As the crowd breaks out in shock and fright, Fink and Stoolie realize Seymour is their culprit who flees from the shop with the police and Mushnick in hot pursuit. Managing to lose them in a junk yard filled with sinks and toilets, Seymour eventually makes his way back to Mushnick’s shop where Audrey Jr. is screaming to be fed. Blaming the plant for ruining his life, Seymour grabs a knife and climbs into Audrey Jr.’s mouth in an ill thought out attempt to kill it. Some time later; Audrey, Winifred, Mushnick, Fink, and Stoolie return to the shop where Audrey Jr. has begun to wither and die.

As Winifred laments over how her son used to be such a good boy, the final bud opens to reveal the face of Seymour who pitifully moans “I didn’t mean it!” before drooping over. Loading… Movie Notes: The Little Shop of Horrors is a 1960 American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a farce about an inadequate florist’s assistant who cultivates a plant that feeds on human flesh and blood. The film’s concept is thought to be based on a 1932 story called “Green Thoughts”, by John Collier, about a man-eating plant. However, Dennis McDougal in Jack Nicholson’s biography suggests that Charles B. Griffith may have been influenced by Arthur C. Clarke’s sci-fi short story, “The Reluctant Orchid. The film stars Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles and Dick Miller, all of whom had worked for Corman on previous films. Produced under the title The Passionate People Eater, the film employs an original style of humor, combining black comedy with farce and incorporating Jewish humor and elements of spoof.

The Little Shop of Horrors was shot on a budget of $30,000 in two days utilizing sets that had been left standing from A Bucket of Blood. The film slowly gained a cult following through word of mouth when it was distributed as the B movie in a double feature with Mario Bava’s Black Sunday and eventually with The Last Woman on Earth. The film’s popularity increased with local television broadcasts, in addition to the presence of a young Jack Nicholson, whose small role in the film has been prominently promoted on home video releases of the film. The movie was the basis for an Off Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors, which was made into a 1986 feature film and enjoyed a Broadway revival, all of which have attracted attention to the 1960 film. The film was partially cast with stock actors that Corman had used in previous films. Writer Charles B. Griffith portrays several small roles. Griffith’s father appeared as a dental patient, and his grandmother, Myrtle Vail appeared as Seymour’s hypochondriac mother.

Dick Miller, who had starred as the protagonist of A Bucket of Blood was offered the role of Seymour but turned it down, instead taking the smaller role of Burson Fouch. The cast rehearsed for three weeks before filming began. Principal photography of The Little Shop of Horrors was shot in two days and one night. It had been rumored that the film’s shooting schedule was based on a bet that Corman could not complete a film within that time. However, this claim has been denied by Mel Welles. According to Joseph, Corman shot the film quickly in order to beat changing industry rules that would have prevented producers from “buying out” an actor’s performance in perpetuity. On January 1, 1960, new rules were to go into effect requiring producers to pay all actors residuals for all future releases of their work. This meant that Corman’s B-movie business model would be permanently changed and he would not be able to produce low-budget movies in the same way. Before these rules went into effect, Corman decided to shoot one last film and scheduled it to happen the last week in December 1959.

The film’s critical reception was largely favorable, with modern review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a “Tomatometer” score of 91%.[27] Variety wrote, “The acting is pleasantly preposterous. […] Horticulturalists and vegetarians will love it.” Jack Nicholson, recounting the reaction to a screening of the film, states that the audience “laughed so hard I could barely hear the dialog. I didn’t quite register it right. It was as if I had forgotten it was a comedy since the shoot. I got all embarrassed because I’d never really had such a positive response before.” The film’s popularity slowly grew with local television broadcasts throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Interest in the film was rekindled when a stage musical called Little Shop of Horrors was produced in 1982. It was based on the original film and was itself adapted to cinema as Little Shop of Horrors, in 1986. An animated television series inspired by the musical film, Little Shop, premiered in 1991.

It was announced on April 15, 2009 that Declan O’Brien would helm a studio remake of the film. “It won’t be a musical,” he told Bloody Disgusting in reference to the Frank Oz film from 1986. “I don’t want to reveal too much, but it’s me. It’ll be dark.” When speaking with Shock ‘Till You Drop, he revealed “I have a take on it you’re not going to expect. I’m taking it in a different direction, let’s put it that way.” Notable Quotes: Talkin' Broadway Regional News & Reviews, Phoenix - "Little Shop of Horrors" - 8/25/14 Brelby Theatre Company Michael Moramarco and Ashleigh Fall With a capable cast and smart direction, the audience-pleasing musical Little Shop of Horrors is receiving a scaled down but still rousing and fun-filled production from the Brelby Theatre Company in Glendale. The musical spoof of 1960s sci-fi films has an infectious score comprised of doo-wop, Motown and girl-group style ditties that help bring the story of a talking, man-eating plant to hilarious life.

When klutzy, poor, orphaned floral shop assistant Seymour stumbles upon a new breed of plant, he doesn't realize that the fame and fortune the plant promises will require him to continually feed it blood. The plant, dubbed "Audrey II" by Seymour in reference to his co-worker and secret love Audrey, gets bigger and bigger from the feedings and seems to have plans of its own that go far beyond bringing Seymour love and happiness. While Little Shop composer Alan Menken and lyricist/book writer Howard Ashman found worldwide fame and won multiple Academy Awards for their scores for the films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, their first success came when they decided to make a musical spoof of the Roger Corman 1960 sci-fi/horror filled, B-movie Little Shop of Horrors. In 1982 the show premiered Off Broadway and became a smash hit, running for five years. A semi-successful 1986 film version followed, featuring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin, and the musical is a continual favorite of regional theatres due to Menken's upbeat tunes, the fun characters, Ashman's charming and humorous book, and the overall quirky nature of the show.

It's a black comedy musical with a big heart, big laughs, big toe-tapping songs and an even bigger plant as the star. Director Shelby Maticic has assembled a cast who skillfully manage their way around the intricacies of Menken's score and Ashman's sometimes tricky lyrics. But the cast doesn't just sing well, they also skillfully deliver Ashman's well-written dialogue, getting the most out of the comical lines and the sweet, emotional ones as well. Sure, Seymour's nerdy demeanor and Audrey's ditzy blonde look may make them stereotypical characters at first glance, but Michael Moramarco and Ashleigh Fall embody them with ease and make both characters much more than what they first appear to be. Moramarco's wide, expressive, puppy dog eyes show his excitement at life and quickly display how much Seymour pines for the seemingly unattainable Audrey. But it is his sweet and charming disposition that makes his take on Seymour so winning, endearing and likeable. He also has an excellent singing voice. Fall is just as good as Audrey, making her less of a dumb young woman and more of a naïve and uneducated one.

Her cotton candy hair-do (courtesy of hair and make-up designer Melody Chrispen) and skin tight outfits may make Audrey come across as a sexpot, but Fall's innocent take turns Audrey into a sweet and touching heroine. We laugh with her, not at her. Like Moramarco, Fall also has an excellent voice. As Seymour's harried boss, Mr. Mushnik, Deryl Wayne has the appropriate frenzied take on a man at wit's end. While Wayne's line delivery and singing abilities are top notch, wringing laughs from the borsht belt style jokes with ease and singing his songs in a rich voice, his movement during his couple of dance numbers seems less assured. Hopefully, this has become more natural with a couple more performances under his belt. Menken's score relies on the sounds of the '60s, with plenty of required back-up vocals. A trio of female street urchinsApril Rideout, Melissa Kamel and Emily Healdare on hand to provide not only the vocal assist, but plenty of witty lines. All do a nice job, with pleasant singing voices, and add many humorous contributions to the show via their comic line readings.

As Audrey's abusive boyfriend Orin, Rob Dominguez gives his all, making his performance as the leather jacketed, pain inflicting, bad-boy dentist just approach the line of going too far, without stepping over it. For the voice of Audrey II, Maticic has gone against the norm and cast two females to sing for the plant. While it makes sense having a female voice come out of a plant named "Audrey" it doesn't quite have the same effect, or resonance, that a deep male voice has, and the deep, maniacal laugh is sorely missed. While Melody Chrispen and Rachel Cartwright are fine in the part, at the performance I attended there was an ongoing issue with the mic levels for both of them being so low that many of their lines and lyrics were completely lost under the sound of the orchestral amplification. Maticics's staging and choreography make nice use of the small space, using just about every entrance and exit way possible to get a sense of the bustling Skid Row location of the flower shop.

She adds some nice creative dance steps for many of the songs, including a sweet and touching moment where a "dream" Seymour participates in Audrey's song about her hopeful future, "Somewhere That's Green." Maticic also makes sure the comic moments are sharp and delivered so the humor lands, though in the "Downtown" sequence she should have the ensemble be a little less prevalent and over the top, as some of them are trying too hard to get laughs, and pull the focus away from Seymour and Audrey's solo lyrics during the number. Maticic and Kamel designed the costumes as well, and they nicely tie into the caricatures and traits of the characters. Brelby's stage is a small one yet set designer Brian Maticic has crafted an inventive double rotating platform that nicely moves us from the exterior to the interior of the flower shop and back again, as well as, with the simple addition of an old fashioned dentist chair, into Oran's office. Worn down brick walls give a nice sense of the Skid Row location. The Audrey II puppets are also quite effective.

At the opening night performance there were a few hiccups, with some of the scene changes taking a bit too long and some of the scenes in the flower shop lit fairly darkly. Fortunately, these glitches didn't detract from the overall joy of the show and should be easily remedied to tighten up the scene changes and provide a better focused lighting plot. Little Shop of Horrors is an extremely enjoyable show with plenty of laughs and some really great songs. The intimacy of the Brelby space not only lets the humor and charm of the show be more resonant, but also makes the ever growing Audrey II be prominent and literally "in your face" which is very effective. Sure, it might be a small, low-cost production, but with a fine cast and assured direction it proves you don't need elaborate budgets or even a large theatre when you have a director and cast that know what they are doing. The Brelby Theatre Company production of Little Shop of Horrors runs through September 6th, 2014, with performances at 6835 N 58th Avenue in Glendale.

Tickets are available at or by phone at (623) 282-2781 Director/ Choreographer: Shelby Maticic Music Direction: Nico Angelo de Garriz Asst. Directors: Jaren Navenma, DJ Hall Stage Managers: Erin Coen, Zachary Arnold Scenic/Lighting Designer: Brian Maticic Costume Designers: Shelby Maticic, Melissa Kamel Hair & Makeup Design: Melody Chrispen Sound Designer: David Magadan Cast: (this production is double cast, and below is the cast who performed at the performance I attended) Seymour Krelborn Michael Moramarco Blog | The Green Room: Ashley on Bette and Barry October 24, 2016 Welcome to The Green Room, a series within our blog where our performers share with you their thoughts and experiences. This first post is from Ashley Pankow, now appearing in BARRY, BETTE & BROADWAY, about her admiration for these 1970s pop icons.

What do I love about the Divine Miss M … let me count… Cabaret to Broadway April 21, 2016 A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING was originally produced Off-Broadway as a nightclub Cabaret at “Rainbow and Stars,” which was located at the top of Rockefeller Center. The Revue (conceived and directed by Walter Bobbie) showcases the music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. On November 17, 1993, the show opened on Broadway, produced by Roundabout Theatre… #QHPinNYC September 10, 2015 J. Kent Barnhart has been in New York City these last few weeks seeing Broadway shows and enjoying a splendid time with QHP patrons. The annual QHP NYC trip always sells out well in advance, and next year there are two trips scheduled. Kent has been live tweeting his adventures from Quality Hill’s Twitter account… What’s in a name: TIN PAN ALLEY August 22, 2015 The first show of our 21st Season is entitled TIN PAN ALLEY. Perhaps this is a phrase you have encountered before.

Perhaps you know that the name often refers to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated American popular music in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The origins of “Tin Pan Alley”, however, are perhaps not as well… EGOT April 26, 2015 The coveted EGOT represents artists who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. To date, only twelve individuals have earned this honor, one of whom is Marvin Hamlisch, who we are currently celebrating in What They Did For Love: The Songs of Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach. In total, Marvin Hamlisch won 4… Screen to Stage to Screen again… March 13, 2015 There have been a handful of films that made their way to the stage only to be re-made for the screen again. Little Shop of Horrors, for example, began as a 1960 cult movie directed by Roger Corman. The musical adaptation premiered off-Broadway in 1982 where it ran for more than 5 years.

In 1986, Frank… MGM Movie Posters February 6, 2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced over 4,000 films. The studio received its first Academy Award for their first musical, The Broadway Melody, in 1929 The book is now the movie is now the musical: A listicle – Metro October 10 2014 The book is now the movie is now the musical: A listicle on shows with multiple sources T. Michelle Murphy and Matt Prigge As "Jersey Boys" hits theaters, we look at musical bred from movies that were bred from books or plays, like "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Hairspray." Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones helped put a longtime musical favorite on screen. Credit: Miramax The Four Seasons catalog was turned into the show “Jersey Boys.” Now the musical is a movie, directed by Clint Eastwood. (See our review here .) It’s not the first stage-to-screen film to originate somewhere else entirely.

Here are eight films or stage musicals that have had multiple lives, some starting out as literature — be it respected or disreputable — others as movies, made by people who had no idea their work would one day be turned into stage or movie titans. Our picks were lovingly chosen by Metro's theater and film critics, but we'd love to hear about your favorites in the comments! Cary Grant tried to get back with ex Katharine Hepburn in the 1940 film of "The Philadelphia Story." Credit: Moviepix/Getty Images ‘The Philadelphia Story’ schmoozes its way to 'High Society' 'The Philadelphia Story' (1939, play) Set among the city’s moneyed Main Line, Philip Barry’s comedy of manners concerns a socialite whose looming marriage is thrown into disarray by the arrival of her ex-husband and a journalist. Barry wrote the lead, Tracy Lord, for Katharine Hepburn, who played her in the hit film, made the subsequent year. ‘High Society’ (1956, film musical) The film was so beloved that it was remade, this time as a musical (and relocated to Newport, Rhode Island).

Grace Kelly stepped in for Hepburn, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra for Cary Grant and James Stewart. And though there are plenty of Cole Porter numbers by the main cast, also on hand is Louis Armstrong, who swings by as a kind of Greek chorus. ‘High Society’ (1987, stage musical) It took 30 years, but Barry’s play returned to the stage, transformed into the ’56 musical. After premiering on London’s West End, it took another 11 years to hit Broadway, where the production netted a 12-year-old Anna Kendrick a Tony nomination. James Garner thinks Julie Andrews is a man in the 1982 film of "Victor/Victoria." Credit: MGM 'Viktor und Victoria' dresses up as 'Victoria/Victoria' ‘Viktor und Viktoria’ (1933, film musical) Made in the last days of Germany’s hedonistic Weimar Republic, this musical comedy was the first to spin the farce about a woman who pretends to be a female impersonator, therefore convincing her fans that she’s actually a man in drag.

(Hopefully this isn’t confusing.) ‘Victor/Victoria’ (1982, film musical) The original was remade several times, in England in 1935, in Argentina in 1975, and in Germany again in 1957. But it only became huge with Blake Edwards’ movie, starring Julie Andrews in double-drag duty (and later Robert Preston in single-drag and banging “Webster” dad Alex Karras) and new songs by Henry Mancini. ‘Victor/Victoria’ (1995, stage musical) Thirteen years later Andrews and Edwards dusted off one of their greatest screen successes, starting it soft in Minneapolis before taking it to Broadway and London. Andrews refused her Tony since the awards had otherwise snubbed the production. A film recording of the stage show was made the same year as its debut.

A young Jack Nicholson filed one of his first performances in the 1960 Roger Corman cheapie "Little Shop of Horrors." Credit: Provided 'Little Shop of Horrors' devours itself ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1960, film) Even for a Roger Corman production, this dark comedy was penny-pinching: The famously thrifty filmmaker shot it in two days on a $28,000 budget (roughly $225,000 today), on sets left over from his “A Bucket of Blood.” The tale of a man-eating plant, it’s also notable for containing one of Jack Nicholson’s first screen turns, as a hyper-masochist who loves dentists (a role later played on film by Bill Murray). ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1982, stage musical) The cult around Corman’s film was such that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman — soon for “The Little Mermaid” — turned it into a campy but loving Off-Broadway musical filled with doo-wop, Motown and power ballads, plus a charming giant puppet that feasts on the cast.

‘Little Shop of Horrors’ (1986, film musical) By the mid-’80s the screen musical had been mostly dead for over a decade, killed by the likes of 1973’s disastrous redo of “Lost Horizon.” But it was alive enough to hoover up a hit show, made by the reliably morbid Frank Oz and with Rick Moranis and Ellen Green killing it as wallflowers trying not to get eaten. The show’s apocalyptic finale was retained, and super-sized, but re-shot after test audiences reacted in horror. This sequence was only officially restored to home video in 2012. Divine and Jerry Stiller play wife and husband in John Waters' 1988 film "Hairspray." Credit: Moviepix/Getty Images 'Hairspray': The little movie that could ‘Hairspray’ (1988, film) By 1988, some 24 years into making films, John Waters had finally (albeit only briefly) had it with shocking people with people eating poo (“Pink Flamingos”) or being raped by lobsters (“Multiple Maniacs”).

He sought to make a nice, PG-rated comedy that recreated 1960s Baltimore, albeit one that dealt with race and physical appearance, plus featured cross-dresser Divine as Ricki Lake’s mom (and Jerry Stiller’s wife). ‘Hairspray’ (2002, stage musical) The film “Hairspray” wasn’t a hit, and it wasn’t until the late ’90s that the right person rediscovered it, realizing it would make a money-gobbling musical. Mark Shaiman came in to do the music, and Waters just sat back with a grin, raking in money and planning his NC-17 sex movie “A Dirty Shame.” ‘Hairspray’ (2007, film musical) Waters hasn’t directed a film in a decade, but he’s doing all right. He’s a “personality” now, who can do talk shows and pop up in documentaries and even safely hitchhike. Meanwhile the musical version of “Hairspray” brought the material back to screens, only with John Travolta doing a rather sad — and overly weak — take on Divine.

Audrey Hepburn goes from cockney lass to society dame with a giant hat in the 1964 film of "My Fair Lady." Credit: Moviepix/Getty Images 'Pygmalion' is coached into 'My Fair Lady' 'Pygmalion' (1912, play) Although the story of Pygmalion has many iterations, starting in ancient mythology and followed by several operatic interpretations (from 1745 on), the most popularized play was written by George Bernard Shaw. 'Pygmalion' (1938, film) A British film, starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller, was released in 1938, taking home an Oscar for Best Screenplay. There are many other adaptations, among them a 1983 TV movie with Peter O’Toole and Margot Kidder. 'My Fair Lady' (1956/1964, stage and film musical) The 1938 film was later adapted into “My Fair Lady,” a hit musical by Lerner and Loewe debuting in 1956. Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison helmed the original cast, directed by Moss Hart.

Andrews was famously not cast in the big budget movie adaptation, which went with Audrey Hepburn instead. It won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, though the one that could have gone to Hepburn instead went to Andrews for "Mary Poppins." Johnny Depp (with Sontagian white streak) gets to butchering in the 2007 film of "Sweeney Todd." Credit: Provided 'Sweeney Todd' murders his way through the mediums 'The String of Pearls' (1846-1847, penny dreadful) The character of Sweeney Todd was first mentioned in penny dreadful called “The String of Pearls,” which ran from 1846 to 1847. But the famed character broke out on his own in the 1936 film “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' (1979, stage musical) The acclaimed Stephen Sondheim musical came to Broadway in 1979 — but it’s based on the 1973 play by Christopher Bond. Sondheim’s work took home the Tony Award for Best Musical.

'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' (2007, film musical) Following a concert revival that was released on film, Tim Burton directed the movie musical version, which only upped the gore. Alas, stars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter lacked the vocal prowess to handle Sondheim's famously complex melodies. Ginger Rogers plays a showgirl trying to grift her way to fame in "Roxie Hart," the 1942 film based on the play "Chicago." Credit: Provided From 'Chicago' to 'Roxie Hart' and back again 'Chicago' (1926, play) “Chicago” started as a play in 1926, based on real crimes and criminals observed by Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins. The first adaptation was a silent film starring Cecil B. DeMille in 1927. It was renamed “Roxie Hart” in a 1942 comedic movie starring Ginger Rogers. 'Chicago' (1975, stage musical) The Fosse-choreographed musical hit Broadway in 1975. It closed after two years, only to be revived in 1996.

Today it’s the longest-running musical revival and longest-running American musical. 'Chicago' (2002, film musical) In 2002, a movie musical based on the stage libretto won an Oscar for Best Picture. It starred Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, directed by Rob Marshall. Let's try to remember there is a good movie of "The Phantom of the Opera," and it's the 1925 one with Lon Chaney, not the 2004 adaptation of the musical. Credit: Moviepix/Getty Images The 'Phantom' strikes again and again (and again and again) 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1909-1910, novel) From 1909-1910, “Le Gaulois” ran a serialized drama by French novelist Gaston Leroux about “The Phantom of the Opera.” The story was translated into a silent horror film in 1925, starring Lon Chaney Sr. This version was followed by a 1943 remake in color starring Nelson Eddy.

'The Phantom of the Opera' (1986, stage musical) Following a 1959 ballet by Sir Malcolm Arnold, “The Phantom of the Opera” exploded into mass popularity thanks to the 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which premiered in the West End before moving on to Broadway. 'The Phantom of the Opera' (2004, film musical) Webber’s musical become a movie in 2004; it starred Girard Butler and Emmy Rossum, though Minnie Driver often stole the show as secondary character Carlotta.

(Also of note is Brian De Palma's campy "Phantom of the Paradise," with diminutive Paul Williams as the bad guy.) Marcello Mastroianni plays a version of his director, Federico Fellini, in the landmark movie-about-movies "8 1/2." Credit: Provided If '8 ½’ was 'Nine' ‘8 ½’ (1963, film) Freaking out over how to follow-up the monster hit “La Dolce Vita,” Federico Fellini turned an abandoned sci-fi project into a ground-breaking movie about movies, concerning a philandering, depressed film director (Marcello Mastroianni) having phantasmagoric visions while struggling to piece together a follow-up to a monster hit. ‘Nine’ (1982, stage musical) So what if theater is not cinema? Fellini’s purely filmic work got a musical anyway, which rounded up the titular number and added an entirely new second act when the director actually makes his film — thus defeating most of the reason for the film’s being.

‘Nine’ (2009, film musical) The garish awards season monstrosity made from the musical snipped the second act off, but that’s about all it got right. An unusually sleepy Daniel Day Lewis did Mastroianni while Kate Hudson reached lows crooning “Cinema Italiano,” a song that requires she screech the name “Guido” for 20 seconds straight. Little Shop of Horrors | Carol Kassie their final production at West Boca High School June 5 – June 28 “The vegetable must be destroyed!” – Seymour Krelborn May 20, 2015: BOCA RATON, FL: Little Shop of Horrors, Slow Burn Theatre Company’s final production in the West Boca High Performing Arts Theatre before moving to their new home at the Broward Center, is a devilishly delicious mash up of sci-fi and Broadway, fertilizer and Faust, and of rock, doo-wop, and Motown.

This ‘horror and rock-n-roll musical comedy’ has delighted audiences of all ages for over thirty years, and includes several well-known songs, including the title song, “Skid Row (Downtown)”, “Somewhere That’s Green”, and “Suddenly, Seymour”. Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of Seymour Krelborn, who stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” – after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R & B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it… blood. Over time, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination! Based on Roger Corman’s low-budget 1960 ‘B’ movie The Little Shop of Horrors, the show’s music was composed by Alan Menken, with the book and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The musical premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1982 before moving to the Orpheum Theatre Off-Broadway, where it ran for five years. Alan Menken is best known for his work on films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Newsies, Home on the Range, Enchanted, Tangled, The Shaggy Dog, and Mirror Mirror. Howard Ashman collaborated with Menken on Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Little Shop of Horrors will be directed and choreographed by Carbonell Award-winning Director Patrick Fitzwater: “We’re so excited to bring this production to life as our last show at West Boca Performing Arts Theatre with this all star local cast,” he says. “It’s a great chance for audiences of all ages to come out and celebrate everything that we have accomplished since we began in West Boca, and to look forward to building the future with us at the Broward Center.” The cast of Slow Burn Theatre’s Little Shop of Horrors includes Mike Westrich as Seymour Krelborn, Amy Miller Brennan as Audrey, Shane Tanner as Orin, and Matthew Korinko as Mushnick, along with Christine Alexander, Elisa Danielle, Nicole Dikum.

Rick Peña and Gregory Johnson will handle plant duties as Audrey ll. Mike Westrich “I’m thrilled be able to tackle Seymour since he’s one of my favorite musical theatre heroes,” says Mike Westrich. “And I’m happy to be with Slow Burn for yet another show.” Westrich received extremely positive reviews for his turn in the company’s recent production of Rent. “It’s such a well received and well known musical,” he continues, “And getting to play opposite such enormously talented people in these iconic roles is just something that I can’t wrap my head around.” Musical Direction for Little Shop of Horrors is by Andrew Gilbert, costumes are by Rick Peña, scenic design by Sean McClelland , lighting design by Lance Blank, and sound design is by Patrick Fitzwater. Sean McClelland’s set design for Slow Burn Theatre Company’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Slow Burn Theatre Company is an award winning locally based professional theatre group providing South Florida’s diverse population with opportunities to experience high quality, daring, contemporary and intelligent works of musical theatre. Shows are selected that educate and provoke thought as well as entertain.

Little Shop of Horrors will run for 12 performances – from June 5th through June 28th – at the West Boca Performing Arts Theater on the campus of West Boca Raton High School on Glades Road in Boca Raton. Performances are Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased at ,or by calling 866-811-4111. For more information about Little Shop of Horrors or Slow Burn Theatre Company, please visit or contact Matthew Korinko at slowburntheatreco@gmail.com /954-323-7884 or Carol Kassie ( ckassie@gmail.com / 561-445-9244 ).

~*~ Little Shop of Horrors out to thrill at Northern Stage - The Journal Little Shop of Horrors out to thrill at Northern Stage 15:23, 16 May 2015 Updated 15:28, 16 May 2015 We meet some of the people behind SA Productions' latest show which features rising stars and a very hungry plant Share John Millard Lewis Denny plays Seymour and Eleanor Faye Audrey in the Sage schools little shop of horrors Up-and-coming talent, seasoned professionals and a man-eating plant are aiming to present a sensational show at Northern Stage. Little Shop of Horrors is the latest from SA Productions, the production arm of Byker’s Sage Academy where stagestruck youngsters learn performance skills from professionals. Seasoned director Ian Waller, whose credits include Singin’ in the Rain and Mamma Mia!, has worked with a young Sage Academy cast to bring Little Shop of Horrors to the Newcastle stage (the original show premiered in 1982, inspired by a 1960 American comedy horror film). During a rehearsal break, Ian was confident audiences would be entertained, perplexed and perhaps a little horrified.

“We’re keeping the show as it was,” he said. “We’re not faffing around with it. We’ve set it as the original, in the style of a B-movie in the 1950s. It is dark, but the cast are caricatured characters – and the tunes are great!” Despite having been in Newcastle for just three weeks, after a stint in Australia with Walking With Dinosaurs, Ian said he recognises the talent at the Sage Academy and the North East’s theatrical heritage. “To get the talent of these kids out there is so important,” he said. John Millard Little Shop of Horrors director Ian Waller “You don’t have to go to London to get theatre training. There are a few theatre companies nearby that are trying to say to kids that acting is affordable, and there’s as good training here as there would be if you went down to London.” All the cast of this production, following last year’s Sunshine on Leith, are Sage Academy students apart from one professional puppeteer. “The kids are so talented,” said Ian.

“I think the audience will be very impressed when they see it.” Eleanor Faye, a 21-year-old from Newcastle, cast as the tunefully carnivorous Audrey, has a series of star-studded performances under her belt and already has a local acting contract. Eleanor began acting when she was four but has been a full-time Sage student for the past three years. She played a lead role in Sunshine on Leith. To others considering an acting career, she said: “Just do it. There’s so much stuff to do as well! We’re getting loads of new work and there are new theatres opening. “Even though we have had 100% funding cuts to the arts budget, there is quite a lot of work being funded. There is work out there for you and it is growing so just jump in and take part!” Lewis Denny, aged 19, from Alnwick , plays naive Seymour, the creator of one hell of a blood-sucking plant. He has been a Sage student for over a decade and in 2013 appeared as a lead character in The Wiz, a motown Wizard of Oz with an urban twist.

Recently returned from a UK tour of Sing-a-long-a Frozen, he said he will not be watching the movie again. Confident when working with professionals, he said: “I love hearing their stories. I like to know the ins and outs of people, especially when they’re a well-known name in a big show. It’s nice to hear them and meet them.” He added: “It has truly been a real pleasure to work with Ian. He has done a lot of things and worked with some great people.” Optimism and hopefulness shine through ahead of the first performance. Ian admitted: “I’m excited but nervous. I know it won’t fall on its face as it’s really very good. It’s just that this is my baby and I’ve given it to these kids who are amazing.” Lucy Sage, principal of the Sage Academy said: “We are extremely excited about this production. I think it’s one of the best musicals around and never fails to entertain audiences of all ages.” Little Shop of Horrors is at Northern Stage on Tuesday, May 19 and Wednesday, May 20 at 7.30pm. Buy tickets via or tel. 0191 2305151.

Never-Before-Seen Pictures and Anecdotes from the Creation of Little Shop of Horrors! | Playbill Never-Before-Seen Pictures and Anecdotes from the Creation of Little Shop of Horrors! By Logan Culwell-Block Jun 30, 2015 Little Shop of Horrors is back in New York City this week, and with its original leading lady Ellen Greene reprising her legendary performance as Audrey. In honor of this exciting event, we're looking back to Little Shop's beginnings Off-Off-Broadway in 1982 with never-before-seen photos and brand-new interviews with its creators! * Little Shop of Horrors , the beloved Off-Broadway musical, started its life as a cult-classic B-level horror film called "The Little Shop of Horrors." Famous for being largely shot in two days and on a shoe-string budget, the film relies on an off-beat and dark sense of humor. It derives much of its charm from how bad it is, which, for most, would hardly make it a top candidate to be musicalized.

"Here comes Audrey II!" (Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.) Lyricist, playwright and director Howard Ashman carried the idea for turning the humble film into a stage musical for many years. When he decided to start working on it in earnest, the response from many of the people around him was less than glowing. Ashman’s sister, Sarah Ashman Gillespie, remembers renting the film on betamax and hosting a screening for her husband, Howard, and Howard's agent, Esther Sherman. "Howard and Esther were the only ones who thought it was a good idea," Gillespie remembers. "Esther just totally believed in Howard and in everything he did. She was an amazing friend and agent to him. I’m afraid the rest of us tried, gently, to talk him down." Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.) Ashman didn’t let go of his vision, however, and he found support for the idea in Alan Menken , who would go on to write the score to Little Shop. Menken remembers the idea of musicalizing the Corman film being brought up very early-on in his collaboration with Ashman.

"The idea was of huge interest to me," Menken said. "It felt like the story, the medium and timing was perfect." Ashman and Menken had had success with their first musical, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, but after its Off-Broadway run proved to be brief, they began working on adapting "The Little Shop of Horrors." Initially, they found the tone difficult to get right. Early drafts of the score and script contain a lot more camp humor, which is understandable given the source material. But, as Menken put it, their "stylistic take was not working." "Howard came up with the idea of writing the show as 'the dark side of Grease ,' using doo-wop, R&B and rock and roll as the main vocabulary for the score. There were a lot of musicals and cabaret pieces in the late 70s and early 80s that were playing with the interface of apocalyptic, end-of-the-world, tacky horror movies and pop music.

But Howard’s insistence that we remain truly heartfelt and knowing, yet not getting into self-mockery, was the key to what made us different." With the tone established, Ashman and Menken got to work writing a new score. In this never-before-seen early draft of the lyric to "Somewhere That's Green," we learn that at one time there were plans for the song to be a duet between Seymour and Audrey. While the final song is made up of verses with a repeating final line, here we have a slightly different structure that includes a refrain in-between verses. You’ll also notice that verse three (beginning "To fill our leisure time") was ultimately re-purposed into the final song's bridge lyric. From the Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC. Once Ashman and Menken were ready to have the piece produced, Ashman arranged for a month-long run at the Off-Off Broadway WPA Theatre, where he was artistic director. Menken remembers the "sheer volume of talent" that auditioned for the production, which can be seen in this never-before-seen call-back sheet from the original production.

From the Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC. Listed under Seymour, we see Chip Zien (of Into the Woods and Falsettos fame) and a then-largely-unknown Nathan Lane . Called back for Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon, we see future Tony winner Tonya Pinkins . To find the actress who created the role of Audrey, Ellen Greene , you have to look at the bottom of the sheet (where she is listed alongside Didi Conn , Frenchy in the 1978 movie adaptation of Grease), but in the larger listing of Audreys at the top, you see Randy Graff and Faith Prince , who went on to be Ellen Greene's first replacement in the role. Faith Prince as Audrey in the Off-Broadway production (Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.) Even with the high caliber of talent both on and offstage, Little Shop's premiere production was a humble one to say the least.

Menken described the theatre as a "sweltering (broken air conditioning) little 99-seat theater, on the 3rd floor of a building on 5th Avenue, between 19th and 20th streets, one floor above the Chop-Stix Massage Parlor." Menken served as musical director and piano-conductor during Little Shop's Off-Off-Broadway run, the last time Menken ever music directed a production of one of his scores. He minced no words when sharing why. "I know that I was a pretty lousy conductor. But I more than made up for that with raw enthusiasm (I hope). I remember one embarrassing moment where [original Audrey] Ellen Greene paused so long between lyrics, while singing 'Somewhere That's Green' (between 'Far from Skid Row' and 'I dream we'll go') that I actually fed her the line in what was probably an embarrassingly loud stage whisper. Boy! She was not happy with me after that performance!" Take a look at the Playbill from the original Off-Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors at the WPA theatre, available here online for the first time!

However in spite of (or possibly partially because of) the show's humble beginnings, Little Shop of Horrors became a big hit nearly overnight once it premiered May 6, 1982. Suddenly Little Shop was a hot ticket, and the lines were around the block. As Menken described it, "There is no experience quite like the birth of a hit musical. And Little Shop of Horrors was like an explosion." Lee Wilkoff, Ellen Greene, and Hy Anzell from the original Off-Broadway cast (Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.) Producers quickly stepped up to transfer the production to a commercial open-ended Off-Broadway run, and these were no small-time producers either. When Little Shop of Horrors opened at the Orpheum Theatre a month later on July 27, 1982, it was produced by the WPA Theatre, the Shubert Organization , David Geffen and Cameron Mackintosh . Within just a few years, the show had major productions in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, London and Paris in addition to a national tour and, in 1987, a Japanese tour (starring American actors).

In 1986, a movie adaptation was produced. Ellen Greene reprised her star-making turn as Audrey, acting alongside such comedy legends as Rick Moranis, Steve Martin , James Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest and Bill Murray. The film remains popular today, as does the stage version; it remains one of the most-produced musicals by regional, stock, amateur and high school theatre groups internationally. Flip through the Off-Broadway Playbill to Little Shop of Horrors with the complete original cast here! Little Shop's most important legacy may be that of the man who originally had the idea, Howard Ashman . With the great success of Little Shop, Ashman was recruited (along with Alan Menken ) to help Disney reinvigorate their animation department. While serving as executive producer and lyricist on " The Little Mermaid " and " Beauty and the Beast ," Ashman greatly shaped these films and their use of musical theatre as a storytelling tool, often working far beyond the purview of his lyricist job title.

His experiences during the writing of Little Shop to streamline and economize the libretto as much as possible, combined with his life-long love and deep understanding of musical theatre, put him in a unique position to be profoundly influential when working with the Disney team on creating 90-minute film musicals. His influence on these films are a big reason why they were successful, specifically as musicals. Tragically, Ashman passed away in 1991 from complications due to AIDS before "Beauty and the Beast" was even released. He never saw the full and continuing impact of his work on audiences, which is alive and well today. Both "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid" have been adapted as Broadway stage musicals. Ashman's lyrics are also featured in Disney's Broadway production of Aladdin ; Ashman originally wrote six songs with Alan Menken for the movie, but most were dropped as necessitated by plot changes made to the film after Ashman died. However, Ashman's work was restored for the Broadway production — five of the six total songs originally written can be heard every night in Aladdin on Broadway.

In recent years, his collaborators have been speaking more to Ashman's artistic talents and the immense impact his body of work made on the art form. Alan Menken called him "the greatest musical theatre talent of our generation." "For me, I have him in my consciousness every single day. There's never a new collaboration or association in theatre or film or television or recording where his legacy isn't one of the very first references that get made. His impact is universal and everlasting. And in his brief time among us, he made a gargantuan impact." Howard's sister Sarah remembers the huge effect the sudden success of Little Shop had on her brother, and that it didn't go to his head as you might expect. "Howard was one of those rare people who got better with success. He was busy and I missed seeing him as much as I used to but he was happy. And when Howard was happy, he wanted you to be happy, too. "He was still funny, still intense, sometimes angry, sure of himself in creative matters and unsure of himself in most other things.

"He was still, as always, Howard." Original Seymour and Audrey, Lee Wilkoff and Ellen Greene, sing "Suddenly Seymour" (Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.) Ashman's presence will be keenly felt this week when Encores! Off-Center brings Little Shop of Horrors back to New York in a concert presentation at New York's City Center. Poised to reprise the role she originated and defined for all actresses who played it after her is Ellen Greene, who will be playing Audrey in full for the first time since making the film adaptation nearly 30 years ago. When asked why she decided to recreate her performance for our Diva Talk interview , she said that it was "mostly for my dearest Howard [Ashman] to live again." Howard Ashman on the set of Little Shop of Horrors (Howard Ashman Papers, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington DC.) The images in this article came from the Howard Ashman Collection at the Library of Congress—an invaluable research institution with fantastic resources for theatrical researchers.

Among the numerous fields of learning it supports, the Library of Congress preserves unique working materials by significant American musical theatre writers, composers, directors, designers and performers, including George and Ira Gershwin , Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II , Leonard Bernstein , Arthur Laurents , Oliver Smith, Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon . Special thanks to Mark Horowitz, a Senior Music Specialist at the Library of Congress, for making these materials available to us, and to Sam Baltimore for archival research and preparation. If you liked what you saw in this article, you're in luck because more is coming. Later this year, Playbill will be unveiling an exciting new program, Treasures of the Library of Congress, that offers an unprecedented look behind the scenes at landmark musicals through writers' handwritten drafts and other rarities archived within the Music Division of the Library of Congress. Stay tuned to Playbill.com for more on that soon! (Logan Culwell is a musical theatre historian, Playbill's manager of research and curator of Playbill Vault . Please visit LoganCulwell.com .) RELATED:

Question: What did the Little Shop hold in the movie which premiered in 1982?
Answer: Horrors